People are a lot more unhappy, when they look back at their lives, about the things they didn’t do than they are about the mistakes they made while they were doing things. – Jordan B. Peterson
Failure. It’s the everlasting flame that we, as individuals, must face in every aspect of our lives as parents, professionals, students, brothers, and sisters that will either consume, and destroy us, leaving nothing but rubble, destruction, and a heaping pile of ash in its wake after it is long gone, and the remains of what’s left can only hope that the fiery inferno of our mistakes doesn’t find its way to our doorstep once again.
The lives we take on as actors in this world and the crushing weight of responsibility that comes with those roles, along with the potential for failure & mistakes are always there- The menacing grimace of fear staring us down almost daring us to ‘try’ him in everything we do that is slightly beyond our grasp. Failure’s embrace and ugly head rears itself every morning as the potential for mistakes, anxiety, fear, and doubt nestle their home in the back of our minds as we half-wakingly clothe ourselves getting ready for the long day that lies ahead. It’s the human battle, the inner battle, that we all must engage in every. Single. Day.
These battles aren’t won with M4s, OPSEC, and Cutting-edge technology, but by our mind- Our choices. And we make that choice every second of every day whether we realize it or not. Failure, in today’s society, is often looked down upon and those who fail are deemed unworthy and social fuckups who weren’t or aren’t “good enough.” Not to mention, it’s hard to stomach the guilt, pain, and shame when our peers ask us how selection went- Didn’t make it. How’s the new business? It failed. How’d that job interview go? They never called back. Did you get accepted to that one university? No. How’s your relationship with your girl/guy? It's fucking miserable.
Guess what? You’re not the only one. Everyone tastes defeat from time to time- Some more than others. What’s sets mankind apart is their difference in handling that failure. Masses of people throughout history have laid down in defeat ringing the bell, sucked dry of all their hopes and inspiration and paralyzed by the Medusa-like fear and pain of failing again and again. They didn’t like the consequences of their mistakes, they didn’t like talking about it, they hated the emotional baggage that came with it, and they felt unworthy not only to the tribe of humanity but to themselves. The shame and guilt was so heavy they instead go on living, or should I say existing in state of fearful numbness just accepting whatever the universe throws their way letting fear and life dictate their course until one day they’re 45 years old and the tides of life have forced their vessel ashore to a place unfamiliar, and uncharted. They can barely recognize who they were because the gloom, pain, suffering, and fear of failure outweighed their desire for achievement and the following of the light within one’s self.
Moral of the story is that there is more RISK in not taking a RISK than there is in simply casting our fear and pain aside and facing life head on and doing what we were meant to do regardless of the setbacks in the journey moving forward. DO NOT BE AFRAID TO FAIL. The flame of failure can destroy, yes. But the flame of failure is also the crucible through which very few are forged into perfection if they are willing. Through the process of failure, we are made new again. We are sharper, more keen, knowledgeable, wiser, we come to know humility and what it truly means to be humble from putting our feet to the fire time and time again regardless of the pain that we know is inevitable in the path moving forward. We learn empathy through pain and suffering as we are made whole. It is the same flame that gives life to the Phoenix as it rises from the very ashes from which it was destroyed. At the end of the day, this choice is ours to make and ours alone. Do. Not. Fear. Failure.